Priesthood

The entire Khemetar society is permeated by religious aspects, teachings and traditions. For this reason, the Priests and Priestesses of Khemet not only enjoy a great amount of prestige and respect, but they also have the guarantee of being virtually untouchable. Furthermore, they are the keepers of their nations’ secrets and knowledge, being entrusted with the decision of allowing or restricting access to the upper levels of their library, where ancient and forbidden texts are rumoured to be stored. Along with the supernatural powers their deities have endowed them with, this secret knowledge causes the Khemetar priesthood to be an incredibly cunning and dangerous group, to such an extent that it is common for the most prominent families of Khemet to donate large quantities of gold to the temple in order to either have a family member accepted among their ranks or to simply ensure that the blessings of their Gods will be upon them.

The highest position within the Khemetar’s religious structure is that of the High Priestess of Mah’tet. Only a woman may ascend to this rank and she is the only one who can preside over the rites and ceremonies in honour of the goddess. The only other position among the Khemetar’s society of similar power and prestige, with the exception of the Neferan, is that of the Grand Vizier. Although the High Priestess does not have a say in as many and different issues as he does, she, however, has a greater impact on the populace and is both feared and revered for her relation with Mah’tet. Due to its importance, this position can only be assigned by the Neferan himself, who is the only one close enough to the divine to be able to know who is and who is not fit to represent the most worshipped goddess of their pantheon.

The second most important religious rank in Khemet is that of the Priest or Priestess of each one of the other deities. These men and women work in the same way that the High Priestess does towards Mah’tet. They are the ones entrusted with presiding over the specifc rites and ceremonies related to the deity they represent, as well as to extend their religious teachings to the populace.

Finally, the lowest ranking and most numerous religious officers of Khemet are the Temple Workers. Theirs is the duty to maintain the temple’s facilities as well as to assist the Priest or Priestess who is responsible for their education in the ways of the divine. Given enough time and dedication, these men and women might eventually advance in rank and take over the place of their teachers.

 

The Gods

Mah’tet, the goddess of life, death and rebirth is the most revered deity throughout the deserts the Khemetar inhabit. She represents the harshness and troubles one’s life consists of. Most important of all things, Mah’tet embodies the cycle of life in general. She is the one who brought life to the world in the eyes of the Khemetar. It is for this reason that they show their greatest gratitude to the goddess, as life is the most treasured asset a man will ever have. Her symbol is the ouroboros, the snake that, by devouring its own tail, depicts the cycle of life.

Kha-tekh, the god of war is represented by the everlasting sky. There is nothing that Kha-tekh does not know or see. For this reason, he is considered to be the guardian of all knowledge and secrets. Lover to Mah’tet, Kha-tekh is the god who watches from above.

Neph’at, the goddess of the night and the moon is a mysterious and powerful entity whom the Khemetar greadly admire. Those who follow her are usually full guile and cunning. She is perhaps the second most worshipped goddess by the Khemetar. The night sky and the stars are much appreciated beacons that guide her followers in their path throughout the bleakness of the desert.

Pt-chah, the god of the sun, power and manipulation is as merciless and feared as the Khemetar Neferan that embodies his glory. The sun, that rises every morning only to leave humans in the cold at night, symbolizes the way sovereigns manipulate their people, giving life and taking it away as they please. Pt’chah’s majesty is represented by the gracefulness of felines, who, for this reason, are revered by the Khemetar and allowed to roam freely as they please.

Waret’ta, the goddess of the earth, love and fertility is also the daughter to Mah’tet and Kha-tekh. Her beauty is seen by all of the Khemetar and brought out even in the harshness of the desert. The crops that insist to grow in the barren soil of Khemet are considered to be the ultimate expression of her much revered fertility.

Al-falaq, the god of the sea, chaos and the abyss is an entity shrouded in mystery. Due to the variety and instability of its moods, the Khemetar are very suspicious of the ocean. For this reason, they are not known for being sailors, but rather prefer to stay away from the sea and its impetuous god.

 

Slavery

War prisoners or Khemetar citizens who commit serious offences against their people or government are commonly sold as slaves. On both occasions, slavery is regarded as a valid and useful way for the nation to recover the expenses caused by these people. There is no way out from thralldom, with rare exception of some generous man intervening and buying out the slave’s freedom. These circumstances, albeit extremely uncommon, have been witnessed a couple of times in the past and, for this reason, are worthy of being mentioned here.

Once purchased, slaves can be resold whenever their masters wish to get rid of them. They have absolutely no rights in Khemet, being treated as well or bad as their owners deem appropriate. An intelligent master, however, will usually make sure that the slave is healthy and content enough to perform their duties accordingly.

Because Khemetar view life as the most valuable commodity a man can ever have, owning a slave is a matter of great pride and, therefore, a luxury that only few can afford.